Saturday, October 16, 2010

Essential Liquor #27

#27) Irish Cream - Every Wisconsin Winterfest, approximately 15 winters, has had Baileys in the fridge (or two). Core to the cement mixer tradition at Winterfest III, Baileys continued to be integral in party feature drinks from the Abortion to the Slippery Nipple to the immortal Jedi Mind Trick. Joe might wince at the $20 price tag for Baileys, but really the other Irish creams are not as consistent in mixing as Baileys. Carolans is close, but doesn't quite deliver the honey thickness. O'Darby's is nice, but adds a hint of chocolate that clashes with some recipes. Just buy Bailey's and be done.For our recipe, I'll settle a debate once and for all. Here are the correct ingredients for a Blonde Russian (aka the Bolshevik).Blonde Russian (Bolshevik)

1 part vodka
1 part coffee liqueur
1 part Baileys Irish Cream

"Well, thanks a bunch," you say, "that's the way we've always poured them." True, but Wisconsin bars seem to have a ton of problems getting it right. They want to call it a Blind Russian, because, I think, the myriad of shooters with "blonde" in their names confuses the issue. From now on, if you want to drink in a rocks glass not a shot glass, be firm in your resistance to interchangeable blondes and blinds. Blind Russians need an ounce of butterscotch schnapps in them (same recipe as the Quaalude, replacing the hazelnut for butterscotch). To muddle it up even more, a Blonde made with O'Darby's instead of Baileys or a Blonde made with a splash of crème de cacao is actually a Mudslide. I say try them all, since they are all awesome.